Chinese accommodation was farmed out to certain individuals who made as much profit out of it as they could. Passages could not be booked in advance; would-be passengers had to down to the ship and bargain With the compradore or his assist fants for the best terms they could Get. This practice led to all kinds fof abuses, two or even three times the proper number of passengers be+ ing carried, necessitating the employ. ment of many more tea-boys and other compradore assistants than hip ought to have had, couraging extortion and gr
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.